Thursday, July 24, 2008

Last night I went out to see Low Line Caller and The Winter Sounds play at Mohawk. Great show but I didn't get home until 2:00 AM. After a late show and a full day of work I'm usually pretty whipped. However, we have guests coming over for drinks tonight and I can't crash early. My brother gave me a good tip when you need some rest but are short on time. It's called The Caffeine Nap. Here's how it works (according to Brad Isaac):

"Sleep researchers at the Loughborough University in Britain did several tests on fatigued drivers to compare the effects of different methods for a driver can use to stay awake. They put the volunteers in driving simulators while they were sleepy and let them drive. Some of the tests included rolling down windows for cold exposure, blasting the radio and slapping oneself in the face to try to stay awake. But what researchers found worked the best was a Caffeine Nap.

The Caffeine Nap is simple. You drink a cup of coffee and immediately take a 15 minute nap. Researchers found coffee helps clear your system of adenosine, a chemical which makes you sleepy. So in testing, the combination of a cup of coffee with an immediate nap chaser provided the most alertness for the longest period of time. The recommendation was to nap only 15 minutes, no more or less and you must sleep immediately after the coffee."

I've tried it a few times and it works. It's like a super-charged power nap. Give it try and see for yourself.

That's not a bad idea. Let's become the alternative to "Hints from Heloise". We could feature such articles such as: "Recycling that milk jug - into a bong!" or "101 Uses for Gold Bond That Don't Involve Your Ass".